Dirk Lammers's Blog, page 71

Feller tosses Opening Day no-no, 77 years ago today

Bob Feller Museum Opening Day no-no display.Hall of Famer Bob Feller threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in baseball history, 77 years ago today.

The 21-year-old Feller used his “heater from Van Meter” fastball on April 16, 1940, to mow down eight White Sox batters as the Cleveland Indians topped Chicago 1-0. Feller’s parents and sister, Marguerite, were among the 14,000 fans at Chicago’s Comiskey Park that afternoon.

“I knew I had a chance for a no-hitter in the ninth,” Feller told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “but I tried to put the thought out of my mind by reminding myself you never have a no-hitter until the last man is out.”

Feller threw two additional no-hitters, tying Larry Corcoran and Cy Young for a major league record that would later be broken by Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan:

2
Bob Feller


 
Cleveland Indians (AL)


 
Tuesday, April 30, 1946

Cleveland Indians 1, New York Yankees 0

Yankee Stadium (New York)


3
Bob Feller


 
Cleveland Indians (AL)


 
Sunday, July 1, 1951 (First game of doubleheader)

Cleveland Indians 2, Detroit Tigers 1

Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland)


The Cleveland Indians in 1957 retired the number 19 to honor Bob Feller, who pitched three no-hitters.Feller nearly had some company on April 16, 1940. With all 16 teams in action, Boston Red Sox southpaw Lefty Grove took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before it was broken up with a single by the Washington Senators’ Cecil Travis. Grove retired the game’s first 21 batters but lost the perfecto on an eighth-inning error. He settled for a two-hit 1-0 complete-game shutout.

Asked by an AP reporter if he was disappointed by Travis’ single, Grove said, “No. No-hitters are bad luck.”

Two other no-hitters were thrown on the date of April 16:

1
Burt Hooton


 
Chicago Cubs (NL)


 
Sunday, April 16, 1972

Chicago Cubs 4, Philadelphia Phillies 0

Wrigley Field (Chicago)


2
Bob Forsch


 
St. Louis Cardinals (NL)


 
Sunday, April 16, 1978

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Philadelphia Phillies 0

Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

(His first of two no-hitters)

Happy birthday to Federal League no-no thrower Hendrix

Happy birthday to Claude Hendrix, who threw a Federal League no-hitter in 1915.

Hendrix, born on this day in 1889 in Olathe, Kansas, got the start for the Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales on Saturday, May 15, 1915 against the Pittsburgh Rebels at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park. Hendrix, a former Pittsburgh Pirates hurler, struck out three and walked three for a 10-0 victory.

“Eight fly balls were hit to the outfielders,” according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story. “Eight men died on pop flys to the infield and seven men were thrown out by ground balls by the infielders.”

Hundreds of fans rushed the field to congratulate Hendrix after he got Jimmy Savage to foul out to end the game.

“I got all the breaks and my teammates played great ball behind me,” Hendrix said.

Happy 36th birthday to Hisashi Iwakuma, threw ’15 no-hitter

Happy 36th birthday to the Seattle Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma, who broke a streak of 12 straight National League no-hitters by throwing one against the Baltimore Orioles last year.

At Safeco Field on August 12, 2015, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander struck out seven and walked three while holding the Orioles hitless for a 3-0 victory. Kyle Seager made a spectacular catch for the first out in the ninth, snagging a foul ball behind his back. Iwakuma walked the lead-off batter in the eighth, but recovered with a strikeout looking and a 6-4-3 double play to make it to the ninth.

Iwakuma’s performance marked the first American League no-hitter since the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez threw a perfect game at Safeco Field on August 15, 2012.

Padres’ no no-no streak active again, hits 7,653 games

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Adrian González tagged San Diego Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin for a second-inning ground-rule double

Monday as the Friars’ no no-hitter streak hit 7,653 games.

The hits kept coming, as the Dodgers topped the Padres 14-3 at Opening Day at Dodger Stadium.

Eight Angels pitchers combined to no-hit Mariners

Eight Los Angeles Angels pitchers combined to no-hit the Seattle Mariners Friday for a 4-0 win Cactus League at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

It marked the second no-hitter of the 2017 spring training season, with the New York Yankees no-hitting the Detroit Tigers just a week ago.

The Angels’ Bud Norris began the game by throwing two perfect innings, and Jose Alvarez, Andrew Bailey, Drew Gagnon, Cam Bedrosian, Abel De Los Santos, Justin Anderson each followed with single no-hit innings.

All three ninth-inning outs were nail-biters. First baseman C.J. Cron made a diving play and tossed to a covering Anderson for the first out, and right fielder Shane Robinson followed with a diving catch on a short liner. Then, third baseman Sherman Johnson made a diving stop and threw to Cron to complete the no-no.

The effort marked the most pitchers used for a nine-inning spring training no-hitter. In 2015, nine Atlanta Braves combined to throw a 10-inning no-hitter against the Houston Astros. That game ended in a 2-2 tie.

McKeon and Geggus, once credited with no-hitters, born on this date

The Indianapolis Hoosiers baseball teamLarry McKeon and Charlie Geggus, the earliest no-hitter throwers to have their games tossed off the official list, were both born on this date.

McKeon, born on this date in 1866, threw a six-inning no-hitter for the American Association’s Indianapolis Hoosiers on Tuesday, May 6, 1884. The Hoosiers were locked in a scoreless tie in the sixth inning at League Park when the umpire called the game against the Cincinnati Red Stockings due to rain.

The Cincinnati Enquirer story about the game, headlined “A Tiresome Affair,” is a hoot.

“It was lacking in hard hitting, one of the most essential requisites to make a contest interesting,” the curmudgeonly writer penned.

He also complained that rain “only made a slow game slower,” the field was in sloppy condition, the ball was soggy and numerous foul balls “did not increase the interest a bit.”

Geggus, born on this date in 1862, threw eight innings of no-hit ball for the Union Association’s Washington Nationals on Thursday, August 21, 1884, but the game was called by consent as the Nationals had built a seemingly insurmountable 12-1 lead over the Wilmington Quicksteps. The Nationals might have chosen to play that final inning had they known what baseball would decide in September 1991.

The Committee for Statistical Accuracy, chaired by then MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent, changed the official definition of a no hitter, declaring it a game of nine innings or more that ends with no hits. The stringent definition eliminated 38 no-hitters from the books that were shortened by rain, darkness or other reasons, as well as losing efforts by the away team in which the home team doesn’t bat in the bottom of the ninth. It also wiped out 12 no-hitters by pitchers who threw nine innings of no-hit ball only to yield a hit in extra innings.

McKeon’s gem was once official no-hitter No. 10, and Geggus’ game held the No. 17 slot. Now they are relegated to our Close, but no cigar: No-hitters not officially recognized page.

Happy birthday to no-no thrower Mark Buehrle

Wishing a happy 38th birthday to Mark Buehrle, who threw a no-hitter and a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox.

Buehrle no-hit the Texas Rangers on April 18, 2007, for a 6-0 victory at U.S. Cellular Field while facing the minimum 27 batters. Buehrle had picked off Sammy Sosa from first after the designated hitter drew a fifth inning walk.

Then on July 23, 2009, the 6-foot-2 southpaw threw a perfect game at home against the Tampa Bay Rays for a 5-0 win. That game actually marked the third time that Buehrle faced the minimum 27 batters for a complete-game victory, and he is the only major league pitcher to accomplish that feat.

Buehrle’s lesser-known 27-up, 27-down performance was on July 21, 2004, when he threw a two-hit, 14-0 complete game against the Cleveland Indians. Buehrle was perfect through 6⅓ until Omar Vizquel singled with one out in the seventh. Vizquel was retired when Matt Lawton grounded into an inning-ending double play. The next inning, pinch-hitter Tim Laker led off with a single, but Casey Blake doubled him up. Buehrle completed the effort, throwing just 90 pitches (67 for strikes).

Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index shows 33 games in which a starter threw a complete game, faced the minimum 27 batters yet gave up at least one hit. Sixteen were one-hitters, 10 were two-hitters and six were three-hitters. Only John Candelaria has accomplished this rare feat while yielding four hits.

Yankees toss spring training no-hitter

A trio of New York Yankees pitchers on Friday tossed a spring training no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers.

Masahiro Tanaka threw 4⅓ innings of no-hit ball at Lakeland’s at Joker Merchant Stadium before turning the ball over to Chasen Shreve (⅔ innings) and then Jordan Montgomery (4 innings) for the 3-0 win.

View all the spring training no-hitters here.

Phillies nearly complete Spring Training no-hitter

The Philadelphia Phillies came just two outs from throwing a combined Spring Training no-hitter on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Vince Velasquez (3⅔), Jake Thompson (2⅓), Colton Murray (1⅔) and Michael Mariot (⅔) combined for 8⅓ no-hit innings at Ed Smith Stadium before Chris Dickerson tagged Mariot for a single to right. Sean Coyle followed with a game tying homer, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

See our list of known Spring Training no-hitters here.

Happy birthday ‘Bobo’ Holloman, thrower of no-no in first start

Bobo Holloman (National Baseball Hall of Fame)Today would be the 92nd birthday of Alva “Bobo” Holloman, who pitched a no-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in 1953.

Holloman no-hit the Philadelphia Athletics 6-0 at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, May 6 of that year. The game was the pinnacle of his brief major league career, which ended after two seasons with a 3–7 record and a 5.23 ERA.

Holloman died in 1987 at the age of 64.